Moving our sailboat from Florida to Michigan

[iLean]

Thanks very much for your encouragement. It would be a wonderful trip if we could spare the time.

[Sinbad51]

Further to last post. It is about 2000 miles to get to Detroit. Even at 6 weeks it is a hard push. You have to take into consideration delays for locks, bridges, tides flows etc. That time of year the days are shortand you can't run after dark, so 50 mile days are about a average. That means 40 days running and that doesn't include extra days used for site seeing, lost weather days or time needed for provisioning laundry etc.
I know the numbers first hand. I just fot home in June. It is a nice trip but to do it in 6 weeks is a grind

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by iLean

My husband and I are moving our 2014 Beneteau Sense 46 from Miami to Traverse City, Michigan and need all of the help we can get! We exploring any and all options, but because of the 70' mast height and 14.5 foot height, some options are closed. We are happy to pay a qualified crew to make the sail, probably doing some of it ourselves, but are concerned about the time it will take. We plan to move the boat during mid-April this year. We would be grateful for any information anyone can provide. Thanks in advance!

Personally, I think a boat like that should make the trip on her own bottom... Then again, I'm a delivery skipper, so go figure... :-)

The opening of the Erie Canal will dictate the timing of the trip. Tentatively scheduled right now for May 1... But depending on snowfall this winter in upstate NY, among other factors, that might get pushed back a bit. And, transiting the canal early in the season can often be problematic, the potential for flooding leading to delays, and so on... It can always be a bit of a crapshoot, in that regard... And of course in April, you might have to wait a bit for a good window for going out around Hatteras, that's still a bit early, at least in some years...

A delivery by water won't be cheap, un-stepping and re-stepping the rig can involve considerable extra time and a bit of expense, for instance... But, all in all, it's a marvelous trip to make at least once, and the ride out to the Lakes on the Erie remains one of my favorite trips... Better done on a powerboat, unfortunately - but certainly a unique experience...

You don't mention your draft, but that will dictate whether you'd be able to stay on the Erie all the way, or whether you'd have to go up thru Oswego, and then into Lake Erie via the Welland... It would be preferable to avoid the Welland going upbound, if at all possible, that can be a rough ride...

Bring plenty of fenders, in any event, and enjoy...

:-))








Sure you don't want to swap that Beneteau for a powerboat? It DOES make the trip a lot easier, after all...

:-))

[Cadence]

Do your own research on transportation costs. Some of the posts seem mighty low on cost. That mast is still going to be 70' even if lying flat on deck on a truck probably keel off. A delivery captain might end up cheaper? What about on a barge? A tow with the mast down might work. Just maybe an eight ball idea?

[ztsf]

OK you have two options it seems.

1) Outside passage up the coast to the to NY Harbor. Thence up the Hudson to the Erie canal and west to Tonawanda/Buffalo. I would recommend unstepping your mast before transit of the Erie Canal, and shipping it by truck to a forward location in your transit. This can be done for sure at Lockwood Boatworks, Sayerville, NJ (on the south shore of the Raritan Bay (lower NY Harbor)), or at Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY (west shore of the Hudson River). A 30' bridge clearance in Albany prevents large sailboat navigation north of that point. You can carry you mast along - but the rigging makes it a pain when you are in the canal. Also at Hop-O-Nose, you have to secure the mast yourself and tie-up the rigging. I would advise shipping the mast to any reputable marina in Buffalo, NY, for restepping, and just motor the boat in the canal. I believe the Erie Canal opens on or about May 1st. You can check the NY thruway Authority website for that info. For a boat your size, I would recommend 1 skipper and 4 crew (3 crew at a minimum) - just for line and boat handling in the locks. I'm sure single-handers have done it - butif you can take more crew, it just helps. Navigation is from 7:00am to 10:00pm. there is a 15 ft. height clearance for the swing bridges on the western portion of the canal. If that is too high for you, then you will have to exit up the Oswego Canal into Lake Ontario and transit the Welland Canal into Lake Erie. Check for restrictions and requirements on the Welland - you may need longer docking lines and more fenders, etc. But cheap fender covers - they will get chewed-up.

2) If the OAH of the boat is short enough to fit on a marine hauling trailer, then I'm very happy to recommend:

J. DANIEL MARINE
(954) 495-7799
J. Daniel Marine: Yacht Transport and Boat Transport Specialists- Home Page

This is a husband and wife team that has been doing this for over 20 years and to date, has never had an insurance claim filed against them. They are super careful and WILL treat your boat as if it was their very own. I had a few scheduling delays (mostly caused by my company in a corporate transfer), but they were well worth the wait! They may not be the cheapest - but, do you really want the cheapest?!

p.s. And I'm not just saying that because they have my sailboat pictured on their website either!

Good luck to you!

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Personally, I think a boat like that should make the trip on her own bottom... Then again, I'm a delivery skipper, so go figure... :-)

The opening of the Erie Canal will dictate the timing of the trip. Tentatively scheduled right now for May 1... But depending on snowfall this winter in upstate NY, among other factors, that might get pushed back a bit. And, transiting the canal early in the season can often be problematic, the potential for flooding leading to delays, and so on... It can always be a bit of a crapshoot, in that regard... And of course in April, you might have to wait a bit for a good window for going out around Hatteras, that's still a bit early, at least in some years...

A delivery by water won't be cheap, un-stepping and re-stepping the rig can involve considerable extra time and a bit of expense, for instance... But, all in all, it's a marvelous trip to make at least once, and the ride out to the Lakes on the Erie remains one of my favorite trips... Better done on a powerboat, unfortunately - but certainly a unique experience...

You don't mention your draft, but that will dictate whether you'd be able to stay on the Erie all the way, or whether you'd have to go up thru Oswego, and then into Lake Erie via the Welland... It would be preferable to avoid the Welland going upbound, if at all possible, that can be a rough ride...

Bring plenty of fenders, in any event, and enjoy...

:-))








Sure you don't want to swap that Beneteau for a powerboat? It DOES make the trip a lot easier, after all...

:-))

For all of you folks wondering why you would ever want to ship your mast by truck, take a look at these pictures and imagine crawling over the mast and rigging as you go through countless locks. Something to consider.

[FamilyVan]

Oh, I totally agree. 6 weeks is the bare minimum. But that Sense would be a fast boat I'm thinking. And traverse city should only be 2 1/2 days past Detroit.

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[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

For all of you folks wondering why you would ever want to ship your mast by truck, take a look at these pictures and imagine crawling over the mast and rigging as you go through countless locks. Something to consider.

Not nearly as bad as it looks, actually... :-)

but you're right, and that's actually the solution I'd push for... Get the boat to the Hudson, have the mast shipped to MI, and make it a motor job the rest of the way... With having to do the stint between Erie and Huron under power anyway, there's a good probability you might not get in a whole lot of sailing once you're out of the canals, anyway... Trucking a 70' stick could be pretty pricey in itself, however...

Upbound thru the Barge Canal, however, assuming a prop walk to port, I'd suggest laying the rig off center to starboard, makes things a whole lot easier with a long overhanging rig...

[iLean]

No one has mentioned the possibility of going up the Mississippi and Ten-Tom waterway. Is that because of the current strength? This route brings you right into Lake Michigan and seems that it should be considered. Please tell us what we're facing with this option and consider us grateful in advance.

[Sinbad51]

I just did that route in October delivering a 54 foot power boat from Chicago to Mobile. The current going uphill would be brutal and in some areas you would hardly be moving. Also I found that to be a very shitty ride with all the floating trees and debris and dealing with all the barges is a pain in the butt. i wouldn't recommend it.

[Rumlater]

I used Boat and Yacht Transport (813)215-7690 ( Boat Transport | Yacht Transport | Sailboat Transport | International Boat Shipping | Cradles | Shrink Wrap )to ship my Newport 41 from Marina Del Ray to Sarnia, Ontario. They were the cheapest of the 10 transport companies I received a quote from. Gigi was great and Derek took a lot of care in loading boat. I would high recommend them to transport your boat

[gah964]

Didn't you buy the boat to sail it? get it to NYC in the spring then head to Michigan in the spring. I can do any part of the trip and have studied that trip well. trailer a nice new cruiser? wow just wow.

[CHM]

Sure, it would be a great trip, but do the owners have the 6-8 weeks and the weather window to make it?


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[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by CHM

Sure, it would be a great trip, but do the owners have the 6-8 weeks and the weather window to make it?

With luck, they could be in Annapolis in a week... Two, at the most...

Have Mike Meer and his crew at Port Annapolis pull the rig, wrap it up with great care, and put it on a truck...

I'll take it from there...

:-))

[BlueBuddha]

Welcome to CF! It's great to see other Michiganders on CF. The wife and I are based in Ann Arbor. Wish we could help you but we are still too rookie to be useful. Best of luck with the move!


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